Archive for March, 2021

Kraemer Aviation / Flymall March 2021 Wheels & Wings Newsletter

Friday, March 26th, 2021

Welcome to the Kraemer Aviation/Flymall.org March 2021 Wheels & Wings Newsletter

This month: the first retractable hardtop, how far can you walk, who invented the 8-track tape, the first Camaro, and more.

You can view past newsletters here.


Interested in living at an airport? Visit our Aviation Real Estate page here. We hope to have some new listings soon in our aviation real estate section of the Flymall. So stay tuned!

Want to have your business highlighted on the Flymall??? We offer inexpensive rates to have your business featured on our Wheels & Wings page. Contact us for more info.

History Trivia: Here’s a cool fact that is not really “history”… Have you ever wondered what the longest “walking route” in the world is? The longest walking route on Earth is 14,000 miles from South Africa to extreme north Russia.


Who made the first retractable hardtop? Most will say Ford did in the 1950s. It was actually made in the 1930s by Peugeot. The Peugeot Model 401D Eclipse was the first car to have a retractable hardtop.

If you enjoy history we have a new aviation history fact each day at the bottom of our webpages. Some days there may be more than one, just refresh the page. And if you like Beatles history, checkout our Events Calendar and select the Beatles category. This is a work in progress, we’re building the most comprehensive calendar of important dates in Beatle history.

For those that like to stick with current news, we have an aviation news ticker on our home page. This is updated daily to show the current aviation news.

Achievements & Special Recognition: Instructors, what to highlight your students first solo or other achievement here? Just send us a short write-up and a picture or two and we’ll post it here for you. Click here for our contact info.

Most folks involved in aviation know the name William Lear. Bill as he was called, was the name behind the Lear Jet, the company he founded in the early 1960s. Bill actually got his start in aviation designing and building aircraft radios and navigation equipment. But did you know that Bill was the inventor of the car radio? He also invented the 8-track tape.



Aviation/Aviators in the news: When we think of the Stearman, most of us picture the Boeing Stearman. Here’s a Stearman LT-1 (Light Transport)… only 3 were built. It carried 4 passengers in the cabin and had a cruise speed of 115 MPH.


The aviation section of the Flymall is full of aviation news, training info, and much more for the aviator.

Air show season is always just around the corner. Want to travel to air shows in your own aircraft? Visit our used aircraft page on the Flymall to view our inventory.

Car/Motorcycle Show News: The motor racing world is sad this month due to the passing of Sabine Schmitz. She was a German professional racing driver for BMW and Porsche.



Honda, a well know name in the automotive and motorcycle industry. Their motorcycles are one of the most reliable bikes on the market. That wasn’t always the case. Back in 1947 their first motorcycle, the Honda A-Type probable was not too reliable. It was nothing more than a motorized bicycle. Click on the image for a larger view.



Our Events Calendar has the most current info regarding local and national car shows, air shows, and more. With nearly 30 categories, there is something for everyone. The Day Tripper section of the Flymall has dozens of day trip ideals and interesting places to visit. Check it out here.

Here’s some news/updates for the Laytonsville Cruise In; For 2021 we will continue with the award night (depending on sponsors) for the third Friday of every month starting in May until October 2021. This year will be different. This year we are encouraging kids to bring their rides and display them for a chance to win an award. The award nights will just have awards for the kids vehicles (bicycles, cars, etc). There will be one award for adults on the third Friday and this award will be chosen by the kids that enter a vehicle. Please contact Harry at harry@flymall.org if you or your company is interested in sponsoring an award night. It all about the kids this year.

Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: Need an appraisal on your barn find? Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals.

We may have a “barn find” for sale on the Flymall soon. It’s a 1979 Lincoln Continental, a one owner car that is in excellent condition.

Visit our online store to search for hard to find car parts, aircraft parts, and much more. You can pay online in our secure store, just click on the Store button on our home page.

Visit the Test Drive section of the Flymall for reviews on automobiles, aircraft, motorcycles, and more. Read about it before you buy it. You can also research price info on a wide variety of vehicles, collectibles, and more in the Market Watch section of the Flymall.

If you’re restoring a fabric aircraft, Ira Walker of Walker Aviation is your resource. Visit his page on the Flymall by clicking here.

CFI / DPE Notes: Visit Harry’s Practical Test page for information on his checkrides. You will also find useful information there to help you prepare for your checkride. You can also visit Harry’s Lesson Plan section of the Flymall for other flight training information. Visit our Flight Training page for information on our aviation training classes.

Weather in the news: As aviators, we enjoy observing storms (from the ground). Here’s a major storm system that started in the mid south and worked it’s way northeast on March 17.



Three Wheel Association (TWA): Visit the Three Wheel Association page on the Flymall for more info on the association. You can visit our calendar here to see what show we will be at with some of the three wheelers in the collection.

Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.

Prototypes: In August, 1965 GM Design rolled out the first “Panther” fiberglass model for a management review. The Panther would later have its’ name changed to Camaro before its’ ’67 introduction. Notice the Panther logo on the front fender behind the front wheel.



Nautical Notes: Since the 1960s, Harry has enjoyed repurposing items into unique one-of-a-kind pieces. Here is a vintage knife holder that he repurposed into a PT boat (this was made sometime in the mid 1960s). Lost since the late 1960s, many of the parts have disappeared, however it is still a very cool piece. Click on each image for a larger view.



Animals in the headlines: Visit our turtle page on the Flymall to learn more about the turtles and tortoises we have in our sanctuary.



We close this newsletter with these words: The sky is not the limit….. it’s the beginning


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